Episode 1

Thirtysomething Claire Flannery has quit her job to discover her true vocation, only to realise that she has no idea how to go about finding it.

In her muddled but somehow impeccable logic she discovers that, 'the more time you have, the less time you have'. As the weeks stretch into months with nothing to show but an overflowing internet search history and an unintended feud with her mother, Claire finds herself sinking under pressure and wondering where her life fell apart.

Lisa Owens's comic debut novel tells the story of a life unravelling in minute and spectacular ways, voicing the questions we've all asked ourselves but never dared to say out loud.

Lisa Owens was born in 1985 and grew up in Glasgow and Hertfordshire. After graduating, she spent six years working in publishing before leaving to complete an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Not Working is her first novel.

Read by Emily Bruni.

Abridged in ten parts by Robin Brooks.

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2016.